The research and practice regarding social-emotional learning has increasingly taken center stage in academic settings across the USA and the world. As with many curriculum and programming best practices, communities of color, marginalized, invisible, voiceless communities, under-resourced schools and communities are often excluded in the research designs and curriculum development and implementation.Therefore, these communities and the lived experiences of their students, educators, administrators, families and other school stakeholders are excluded from curriculum design, implementation and instruction. The CSS Framework® is designed by a psychologist of color who authentically prioritized communities of color in the design, development, and implementation.